High on the Cumberland Plateau of Middle Tennessee, the city of Cookeville lies within an hour’s drive of dozens of recreation areas along the shores of Center Hill, Cordell Hull and Dale Hollow lakes. Roughly midway between Nashville and Knoxville, the city was an important rail center in the years following the Civil War, and its Cookeville Depot Museum attracts history buffs and railroad enthusiasts. Campers can choose from four campgrounds within 25 miles.

Hidden Hollow Park

Just a short drive from Exit 290 of Interstate 40, Hidden Hollow Park is 6.6 miles east of downtown Cookeville. Its small campground accommodates only tents and small campers. Facilities include picnic tables, barbecue grills and restrooms but no showers. Attractions within the park include fishing ponds, a miniature golf course, bounce house and paddle boats. A seasonal treat for Cookeville residents and visitors, the park offers one of the area’s most extensive displays of Christmas lights, open to the public from Thanksgiving night through New Year’s Day.

Twin Lakes RV Campground

Open year-round, Twin Lakes RV Campground is about eight miles west of Cookeville near the town of Baxter. The recreation areas on the north shore of Center Hill Lake lie just a short drive to the south. Part of a complex that also includes a catfish farm, twin pay-fishing lakes and a restaurant, the campground is open to both RVs and tents. The vast majority of its few-dozen campsites include full hookups. Also available is an overflow tent camping area. Facilities for campers include picnic tables and sports courts. Fishing enthusiasts can pay a small fee to try to hook a catfish or two on the complex’s lakes. If you have an appetite for catfish but no interest in fishing, you can dine at the on-site Twin Lakes Restaurant, which also serves hamburgers, shrimp and other dishes.

Floating Mill Campground

The campground at Floating Mill Recreation Area, 19 miles southwest of Cookeville, sits along the northern shores of Center Hill Lake, an 18,000-acre reservoir formed by a dam on the Caney Fork River. Open from mid-April until mid-September, the campground has more than 100 campsites, including a couple with full hookups, but most with water and/or electricity. Campground facilities include picnic tables, restrooms, showers and a dump station. Campers also have access to other recreation area amenities, including a boat launch ramp, swimming beach, playground, hiking trails and fish-cleaning stations.

Made in the Shade RV Park

Made in the Shade RV Park is within walking distance of Cordell Hull Lake, a 11,900-acre reservoir created by a dam on the Cumberland River. Open year-round, the campground, 22 miles west-northwest of Cookeville, accommodates both RVs and tents at its campsites, which include about three dozen RV sites with full hookups and a handful of tent sites with water and electricity. A centrally located pavilion — open-air during the summer and enclosed during cold weather — is available for camper activities. Other amenities include a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, Wi-Fi, camp store, coin-operated laundry facilities, restrooms, showers and playground. Pets are welcome but must be kept on leash.

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About the Author

Don Amerman has spent his entire professional career in the editorial field. For many years he was an editor and writer for The Journal of Commerce. Since 1996 he has been freelancing full-time, writing for a large number of print and online publishers including Gale Group, Charles Scribner’s Sons, Greenwood Publishing, Rock Hill Works and others.